Marriage, as understood through natural law, Sacred Scripture, and the constant teaching of the Catholic Church, is the exclusive union of one man and one woman, ordered toward mutual love and the procreation of children. We respectfully but firmly oppose efforts to redefine marriage to include same-sex unions, not out of animosity toward any person, but out of fidelity to truth and concern for the common good.
The Natural Law Foundation of Marriage
Marriage between a man and a woman is not an arbitrary social construct but a natural institution rooted in the complementary nature of the sexes. Aristotle recognized that the union of male and female is natural because it alone can generate new human life—a capacity essential to the continuation of society (Aristotle, c. 350 BCE/1984, Politics, I.2).
The Teaching of Scripture and Tradition
Sacred Scripture presents marriage as the union of man and woman from the beginning. In Genesis, God creates them "male and female" and commands them to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:27–28). Jesus reaffirmed this teaching: "From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh" (Mark 10:6–8).
The Common Good and Religious Liberty
Redefining marriage has significant implications for the common good. Marriage as an institution exists to channel the procreative potential of sexual union into stable family structures—a function same-sex unions cannot perform. Furthermore, the redefinition of marriage in other countries has led to conflicts with religious liberty.
Our Position
We affirm that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, ordered toward mutual love and the procreation of children. We call all persons with homosexual inclinations to be treated with dignity and respect, while maintaining that same-sex unions are not and cannot be marriages.
References
- Aquinas, T. (1948). Summa Theologica. Benziger Bros.
- Aristotle. (1984). Politics (C. Lord, Trans.). University of Chicago Press.
- Catholic Church. (1997). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd ed.). Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
- Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. (2003). Considerations regarding proposals to give legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons. Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
- Girgis, S., Anderson, R. T., & George, R. P. (2012). What is marriage? Man and woman: A defense. Encounter Books.
- John Paul II. (2006). Man and woman He created them: A theology of the body. Pauline Books & Media.
- Philippine Constitution. (1987). Article III, Section 5.
- Regnerus, M. (2012). How different are the adult children of parents who have same-sex relationships? Social Science Research, 41(4), 752–770.